News

exhibition in samuel m.v. hamilton building

Philadelphia Inquirer | William Penn & Mellon Foundations Award Grant to PAFA

The William Penn and Mellon Foundations have awarded PAFA $400,000 in funding to support area arts organizations during the pandemic.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Peter Dobrin reports:

The arts-funding package going to 37 groups is the most recent assembled by William Penn since March, when the…

In the News
PAFA campus at night

COVID-19 Closure Update

In accordance with restrictions announced Monday, November 16, by Philadelphia government and health officials, PAFA, along with other citywide art museums and colleges, will temporarily close for in-person activities, in support of broad-based efforts to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
animation frame

PAFA Announces Animation as Newest Program at the College of the Fine Arts

PAFA is pleased to announce Animation as the newest undergraduate program at the College of the Fine Arts under the leadership of department chair Amy Lee Ketchum. PAFA's Animation curriculum builds on PAFA’s strong tradition of narrative storytelling and experimental approaches to moving imagery.
Press Release
brittany webb

Dr. Brittany Webb Named PAFA's Curator of Twentieth Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection

PAFA is pleased to announce that Dr. Brittany Webb has been named Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of Twentieth Century Art. A member of the PAFA community since 2018, Dr. Webb is the Curator of the John Rhoden Collection. With her new curatorial appointment, Dr. Webb becomes the inaugural Evelyn and…
Press Release
bacchanal live auction

PAFA's Annual Gala & Auction to Be Held Online November 14

PAFA is pleased to announce the 22nd Annual Bacchanal Wine Gala & Auction will be held virtually on November 14, 2020. The institution’s largest annual fundraiser and the Philadelphia region’s premier wine event, Bacchanal raises $500,000 every year for student scholarships at PAFA.
Press Release
staircase, historic landmark building

Board Chair Kevin Donohoe Announces Departure of President & CEO Dr. David R. Brigham

Kevin F. Donohoe, Chair of PAFA's Board of Trustees, addresses the PAFA community regarding the departure of President & CEO Dr. David R. Brigham.
Historical Landmark Building interior, mezzanine | Image: Barbara Katus

PAFA and AAMP Receive Major Grants From the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

PAFA and the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) are the recipients of two grants of $480K from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. These awards will support an upcoming, transformative, multi-site contemporary art collaboration between the two organizations and additional partners at…
Press Release
cast hall

Fall 2020 & Spring 2021 Term: Campus Update

As we approach the mid-point of the Fall term, we write to share updated details on PAFA’s plans, timelines, and procedures for the remainder of the Fall semester, Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and the Spring term.
María Berrío, The Oracles’ Silence (2019). © María Berrío

Discover PHL | Top Can't-Miss Fall/Winter Exhibits

Discover PHL's guide to upcoming exhibitions puts PAFA in the spotlight, with "Only Tony: Portraits by Gilbert Lewis" and "Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale" making the list.
In the News
Marie Watt, "Skywalker/Skyscraper (Allegory)" (2012). © Marie Watt | image: aaron johansen

Philadelphia Inquirer | What To See In Museums

In Thomas Hine's roundup of fall museum exhibitions for the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale" makes the list.
In the News
Louise Nevelson (1899-1988), Cascades Perpendiculars I, 1980-82. nds of Bernice McIlhenny Wintersteen in honor of her 80th birthday, and the Ware Trust Fund. © 2020 Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Artnet | Fall Museum Preview

Artnet contributors Sarah Cascone and Caroline Goldstein highlight upcoming exhibitions opening this fall across the United States. Among their top picks is PAFA's Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale, which opens on November 19.
In the News
Staircase of the Historic Landmark Building

A Message from the Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees updates the PAFA community on its efforts to create a safe, equitable, and inclusive environment for the practice of instruction, study, and work at the institution.

About PAFA

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the United States’ first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers a world-class collection of American art, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and educational opportunities in the fine arts. The PAFA Museum aims to tell America's diverse story through art, expanding who has been included in the canon of art history through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, while classes educate artists and appreciators with a deep understanding of traditions and the ability to challenge conventions. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.